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Posts Tagged ‘eco-friendly’

Cherokee Studios Rock N Platinum Showcase

Monday, November 2nd, 2009

Alcie Cooper Lyrics

: Platinum records for the Platinum loft

Thursday night, across the street from Genghis Cohen and behind a secretive, black curtain Rethink Development unveiled the rock n’ roll lofts at the Cherokee Recording Studios LEED Platinum Lofts Showcase benefitting Habitat for Humanity. We (Lori Dennis and Brook Casey of the Dennis Design Group) were in charge of the Alice Cooper pad and took our assignment very seriously, literally dressing the part.

Dennis Design Group gettin' down in bed?

Our shock rock loft never could have been possible without the generous donations of our many vendors and time from our interns, Sara, Rob and Natasha. Plus it’s not really a party if Tony of Francois and Roy from the SoCal Contractor aren’t in tow. In the bedroom Heritage Draperies fabricated and installed our padded, chained window treatment and Mike Ragan of Rags put together this amazing patchwork, padded wall with fabric from Jason Asch of Diamond Foam. The stars were out in LA on Thursday night and two showed up at our event: Jodie Sweetin , who we all know and love as the old Stephanie Tanner from Full House and Calico Cooper, Alice’s daughter and former co-star of his stage show.

Calico Cooper representin' for Papa

Looking at these pictures you would never know that a mere 24 hours before the event we had no stairs and were finishing up our super style in a deadly, construction zone! Sparks from the welding were hitting us, the wall, the furniture and Sara even got smacked on the noggin’ pretty good by a wayward steel beam. It’s a good thing she has a better work ethic than that witch who hit her head on the Apprentice and wasted the team’s time going to a hospital. No, not Sara… she just kept on hot glueing those recycled, reclaimed water bottles that we used as wall art in the guest bath. Through it all Brook and I just kept hammering the boxes and boxes of nails into our wall eating snake. Jason Asch over at Diamond also donated this massive amount of rocker, (faux) snake skin fabric.

Lori and Brook Nailing

Still nailing...

and finally it was done.

I was afraid Brook was going to hang himself. But he stuck it out and we even finished the lyrics on the bathroom wall so Tony from Francois could learn them and sing along.

Don't do it Brook!!

When the doors opened at 7PM we all took a shot of Skull Vodka and welcomed our guests to Alice’s Lair. Francois provided the Gothic mantel in the living room, serving as the perfect backdrop to the snake skin bench from Bausman and Co. and upholstered chairs from Cisco Brothers. All the kitchy 60s, 70s and 80s accessories from Retropia and the original props from Alice Cooper’s show gave our loft an authenticity rarely seen in staged showcase homes. Big Red Sun even landscaped our balcony in a true, desert decor representative of the golf courses in Phoenix that Alice so dearly loves.

Alice's Lair

You'll never guess what these balls are for!

Cooper Gang in the Loft

The most shocking thing about our shock rock loft was the dirty, little secret in our turquoise blue, laundry room. Really, how could you not go there in this loft?! Pleasure Chest hooked us up for the event and I’m not going to reveal we did or didn’t use before hanging it on the walls.

Green bondage-stay in and save gas!

All in all the showcase was an event to help the developers sell property in a really tough market. Habitat got more than a few bucks, we had a blast and I heard someone is making an offer on our loft today!

Tags: Alice Cooper, Bausman and Co., Big Red Sun, Calico Cooper, Cherokee Recording Studios LEED Platinum Lofts, Cisco Brothers, Dennis Design Group, Diamond Fabric, eco-friendly, energy saving, Francois and Co., Green Events, green materials, Green Retailers, green roofs, Habitat For Humanity, interior design, Jason Asch, Jodie Sweetin, LEED, LEED Platinum, Lori Dennis, Mike Ragan Rags, Pleasure Chest, Retropia, SoCal Contractor
Posted in Charities, Events, Furniture, Green Building, Green Living, Materials, Parties, Press, Retailers | No Comments »

Living Green at California Mart

Friday, October 9th, 2009

Yesterday I attended part three, Living Green :Sustaining Business with Sustainable Design Practices, of the California Mart’s Designer’s Forum 2009 Series. The lecture included panelist: David Hertz, Mariel Hemingway, Nathan Turner and was moderated by California Homes’ Susan McFadden. The audience was packed with many of the old guard at ASID, eager to learn more about green design. David Hertz, who I’ve lectured with at my Alma Matter, the UCLA Interior Design Program, gave a riveting power point presentation and ending with a preview of the Wing House he has been working on for the last three years. I’m pretty certain this house will be remembered in history with the same relevance as the Glass House or Falling Water, only sustainable. Then it was Mariel Hemingway’s way turn. Now I understand the draw of star power, and to be fair she has written some books on healthy living, but what that had to do with the business of sustainable design practices eluded me. These old guard designers left the CEU presentation thinking that, “slow down and eat right” was relevant information to their bottom line. Also speaking was Nathan Turner, an elegant retailer and designer with impeccable taste who runs a gorgeous little antique shop in West Hollywood. He did work on Entourage’s Adrien Grenier’s ultra green home. What bothered me about this presentation was that two of the most successful green designers in the business were sitting in the audience, Rachel Winokur of Etta Designs and me. California Homes must not have been paying attention to the design firm they named Best Green Designer, my firm, when they made decisions for the panel. Green design is a serious matter as the planet and people become sicker, resources shrink and energy costs rise. Educating designers and clients with applicable information would be a good start to help form real solutions. Wake up editors!

A gracious thank you to Palecek, one of my favorite green retailers, for the following reception.

Tags: ASID, California Homes, California Mart, CEU, David Hertz, Designer's Forum 2009, eco-friendly, Etta Designs, Green Building Guidelines, Green Events, Green Marketing, Mariel Hemingway, Nathan Turner, Palecek, Rachel Winokur
Posted in Events, Green Building, Lectures, Parties, Public Speaking | 2 Comments »

Fall Market at the Pacific Design Center

Saturday, September 26th, 2009

Badly needing a break from the book writing, I headed over to the festivities at the PDC for some inspiration. I’m currently on the “Living Rooms” Chapter which focuses on maximizing use of space, especially precious outdoor square footage. Luxe Magazine‘s gorgeous, garden party in the lower level lobby featuring stunning vignettes from all our favorite outdoor vendors couldn’t have come at a better time. The wine was delicious and the steel drum band was a breath of fresh air conditioned air from the 102 degree fall weather outside. Michael Wollaeger, the new Luxe Editor at Large, never disappoints.

Christian Liaigre at Holly Hunt

Richard Frinier at Century

Corbin Bronze at Sutherland

Janus Et Cie

Chinoserie at Robert Allen

Janus Et Cie

Richard Schultz at Summit

In a town where we are literally running out of water, it was great to see Synlawnand Astro Chic make a green statement. I’ve noticed about five of these synthetic lawns on my nightly strolls, along with a lot of gravel and succulents. I’d like to say it’s concern for the environment, but it looks like the water bills finally converted a few folks to the sustainable side.

Synlawn at Fall Market

Astro Chic Pillows, Ottoman and Lawn

The first floor gave us a sneak peak of what was to come on the second floor open house. I especially loved these three sculptures made of everything green including cleaners of the kitchen sink.

Cleaning Up at Fall Market

Worm Hole by Lynn Aldrich

A More Combustible Smoke by Greg MacLaughlin

Broken Sofa by Jeremy Everett

DJs were spinning and one piece was more interesting than the next throughout the second floor galleries.

Green Wall at Pucci

Love this Chandelier

How much is that Horsey in the window?-Twentieth

So sad……. mine is even better.

Art by a USC Graduate?

By this time the world’s most stylish builder, Mr. So Cal Contractor, and Junior Designer Elle started getting a little sleepy……

but woke up for a bit more fun in the best installation of the night. Little Miss Elle obviously shares her Designer Mommy’s love for graffiti art!

Bravo to the PDC for another Fall Market success. Take that recession!

Tags: Art Exhibit, Astro Chic, Century Furniture, Christian Liaigre, Dennis Design Group, eco-friendly, Green Decoration, Green Events, green materials, Green Retailers, Holly Hunt, interior design, Janus Et Cie, Luxe Magazine, Pacific Design Center, Robert Allen, So Cal Contractor, Synlawn
Posted in Events, Furniture, Materials, Parties | No Comments »

Valcucine's Sexy Glass Kitchen

Thursday, August 6th, 2009

Form Magazine and Valcucine invited the who’s who of interior design to their LA showroom this week to unveil the world’s first 100%recyclable kitchen cabinet system, Invitrum. Of course the Dennis Design Group and Jr. Designer, Baby Elle, were in attendance. As always, we were surrounded by glamour: the cabinets, the people, the food, the fashion displays. I’d have to say it was one of the better events this year. Go showroom manager Reba!

More about the cabinets- not only do they exude the sexy, sleek styling, which could only be Italian, but the contents are totally lacking in emissions. The Invitrum by Valcucine features recycled aluminum, sustainable wood, water based finishes, mechanical joints (so no glue is needed) and practically scratch proof, tempered glass. The cabinet fronts are half the thickness of normal systems which reduces the weight by 50% and extends the life of hinges, joints and the overall kitchen. When the time comes to recycle the components, they are labeled for an easy dismantle.

Tags: eco-friendly, Form Magazine, Green Events, Green Retailers, interior design, Invitrum, kitchen, kitchen cabinets, valcucine
Posted in Events, Green Building, Kitchens, Retailers | No Comments »

Ship it to Me Green

Tuesday, January 27th, 2009

Most often when people think of eco-friendly products, they think about what a certain product is made of. This is one of the elements, but there are many more. A product that is manufactured locally, and contains 75% eco-friendly materials should be considered more “green” than an item of the same size containing 100% eco-friendly materials that is shipped from China fully assembled.

According to treehugger.com , a green product is one “that is both environmentally and socially responsible.” Here are some criteria they give to determine an items’ “green-ness”:

Demonstrate care for the people who make, supply and use the product
Demonstrate care for the ecological community in manufacturing
Use materials which are reused, recycled, renewable or organic
Products that address the use of energy in their production.Could the energy saved by their use be greater than the energy it took to create the item?
Serve a useful purpose
Use materials that can be recycled or are biodegradable.

I’m seeing more and more businesses implement or continue the green practices that make products more appealing to those that care about the environment.

Our firm loves Ikea. The fact that Ikea flat-packs their furniture means that costs are reduced because more of that item can be shipped to the store at one time. Also, consumers are able to order most items online. This means than rather than making a trip to the physical store, the items can be shipped directly to the home from the place of manufacture.If you do have to make a trip, the flat-pack concept allows a few rooms of furniture to fit inside your back seat! One trip!

In other news, Wal-Mart is attempting some of its own packaging improvements. They have reshaped their milk cartons to be taller and rectangular-shaped for greater efficiency in shipping, which keeps consumer costs down about 20 cents a gallon. The new shape allows cartons to be stacked on top of one another, rather than packaged with lots of material separating rows of cartons. While some consumers love the new body shape, some are not so amused. Jo from Ohio said, “It is an utterly stupid design. You can’t use a paper towel, water and wipe it up every time you pour milk. They would need to give away a mini roll of paper towels or wet wipes to wipe up the old stinking milk on counters, coffer cups, bowls…. How green is the new design if we are wasting paper towels and running water after every use?” Hmmm, something to think about. A nice attempt though, I think.

Tags: eco-friendly, green product, Materials, Wal-mart
Posted in Green Living, Materials | No Comments »

A Thirst Quenching Investment

Tuesday, November 4th, 2008

I’m often haunted by the images you see of tower-like piles of water bottles, soda cans etc. Sometimes it seems like it’s not enough if you were to do without. I still feel bad every time I’m forced to buy bottled water because of the circumstance, even if I’m the only one watching.

The other alternative is the infamous Nalgene-eque water bottles which are often made out of Polycarbonate. This material contains Bisphenol-A (BPA’s), which research links to reproductive and developmental damage and several types of cancers. Even worse, ¼ of all bottled water is shipped internationally before it is sold, NOT GREEN! So where can a girl get a drink on the run? All these years I thought I was being good running around with my dishwasher-safe Nalgene……

Last weekend my husband and I were taking a yoga class at our neighborhood studio, Yoga Works. As we were waiting for our class to start, we noticed these statement-making water bottles by Sigg being sold right there in the studio store. Made out of aluminum, these water bottles let you sip in style while living light on the earth. They come with a $25 price tag, but think of it this way: the same price tag gets you 4 packs of plastic bottled water, which might last for about 3-4 months. American’s are still horrified of “tap water.” Though yearly studies show that the water in LA is more than drinkable and being responsibly treated for our health (this process is strenuously monitored), people still have tap-anxiety. Grab a filter, they don’t cost much but can do a lot to alleviate anxiety at the tap.

The design is fun (other styles are available), they last forever, and I can refill it almost anywhere. I took mine with me to a client meeting today, and needless to say it wasn’t the Gucci sunglasses they were asking about.

Tags: drinking, eco-friendly, green style, water bottles
Posted in Green Living | No Comments »

Million Trees LA

Tuesday, October 14th, 2008

I was excited to read about LA’s latest landscaping partnership. LADWP (LA Department of Water and Power) and Million Trees LA are teaming up this month in an effort to get more water-wise trees into our Angeleno soil. Million Trees LA will donate up to 7 free trees (delivered right to your door) to residents willing to plant the trees themselves. A free online tutorial is available, and it takes less than 30 minutes to learn how.

There are 30 varieties of LA climate-friendly plants and trees to choose from, take your pick. This includes the beautiful Pink Trumpet tree, seen above. The trees, planted thoughtfully, will shade a home and result in lower energy and cooling bills and less use of water. Don’t forget the joy of watching the beauties leaves change colors this fall. Not sure yet? Here are some cool facts about just how much you can benefit by planting:

-AC use and associated costs reduced up to 20%

-Shade outside AC units, helping them to operate 10-15% more efficiently

-Create barriers to the wind to keep winter heating costs down

-Act as a sponge by removing the carbon from CO2 (a greenhouse gas)

-Providing shade to the lawn, whichin turn will require less watering

-Increase property values by 5-20% (compared to non-landscaped homes)

-Add color and character to our community (not to mention the free fruit if you choose a species of fruit tree!)

Though our city is already very abundant with foliage, it never hurts to plant more, especially if it will selfishly lower a personal bill and make the façade more attractive. This sounds like a fun Sunday afternoon project to me! Shovel not included.

http://www.milliontreesla.org
http://www.ladwp.com/ladwp/cms/ladwp009614.pdf

Tags: eco-friendly, energy saving, free trees, green, interior design, ladwp, landscaping, million trees LA, tree planting, trees
Posted in Events, Green Living | No Comments »

[LORI DENNIS INTERIOR DESIGN]

Lori Dennis formed Lori Dennis Interior Design, specializing in green interior design, in 1998. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, Coastal Living, Southern Accents, Woman's Day, Los Angeles Times, Apartment Therapy and countless other magazines, books and websites throughout the world. [more..]

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